When planting or cultivating farm land, there are many different types of farm implements that require a substantially level orientation for successful operation. For example, planters that are commercially available, regardless of the seed tube design or type of seed meter or mechanism or firming wheel construction must engage the earth in order to properly place seeds into the soil in a continuous and straight row (allowing for periodic weed control and final harvesting). On very steep landscapes (e.g. a slope of about 10% or more) gravity forces can overcome the balance of the implement and cause the uphill side to lose contact with the soil. When this occurs the seed is not planted properly, often being left on top of the earth and, therefore, is lost to wildlife or does not germinate, creating skipped rows and thus lost productive field areas. Planters are not the only farm implements that suffer from this condition, although perhaps more so than others, but also a wide variety of different cultivating, harvesting, and planting devices can be adversely affected by this phenomena.
According to the present invention this problem is minimized or eliminated in a simple and straightforward and inexpensive manner. According to the present invention a remote control ballast mechanism is associated with the farm implement, or in some cases a tractor for pulling the farm implement, to insure that the equipment heads (whether planter, cultivating, or harvesting) properly engage the earth by moving a massive ballast element which overcomes the tilting action when the farm implement is being moved along sloping terrain.
According to one aspect of the present invention a leveling mechanism, per se, is provided. The leveling mechanism comprises the following elements: An open ended channel shaped structure mounted so that it is substantially stationary with respect to a surface and extends substantially in a first dimension. A movable ballast element mounted in the channel shaped structure so that portions of the ballast element may be moved past either open end of the channel shaped structure. And a powered ballast element moving device having a first portion mounted to the ballast element, a second portion mounted to the channel shaped structure, and a force applicator for moving the first portion with respect to the second portion in the first dimension to reposition the ballast element with respect to the channel shaped element. The channel shaped elements may have almost any shape, V-shape, quadrate in cross section, U-shape, circular, etc. Also, the ballast element may be a heavy metal bar or rod virtually solid in cross section (e.g. a steel bar), or tubular element filled with ballast material, such as sand, lead shot, or water. The ballast element typically has a weight of at least 100 pounds, with a size dependent upon the size of the farm implement on which the leveling mechanism is utilized.
The leveling equipment may also comprise means for providing a relatively friction free movement of the ballast element in the channel shaped structure, such as a plurality of rollers, plurality of ball bearings, one or more low-friction coatings (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) on at least one of the ballast elements and the channel shaped structure, and/or lubricating fluid (such as a lubricating oil or gel) between the ballast element and the channel shaped structure. The force applicator preferably comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly although a pneumatic cylinder assembly or an electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic motor connected to a screw and traveling nut, or the like, may also be provided as well as any other conventional mechanism capable of remote control and for essentially generally linear movement of the ballast element with respect to the channel shaped element. In fact both the ballast element and channel shaped element may have a common curvature rather than being completely straight.
According to another aspect of the present invention a farm implement is provided comprising the following elements: A plurality of equipment heads for engaging earth, to act on the earth. A carriage mounting the plurality of equipment heads for movement in a first direction. And means for levelling the equipment heads when moving in the first direction over terrain that is sloped in a second dimension substantially perpendicular to the first direction so that the equipment heads remain in proper operative engagement with earth, the means comprising: a channel shaped structure mounted so that it is substantially stationary with respect to the carriage and extends substantially in the second dimension; a movable ballast element mounted in the channel shaped structure; and a powered ballast element moving device having a first portion mounted to the ballast element, a second portion mounted to the channel shaped structure, and a force applicator for moving the first portion with respect to the second portion in the second dimension to reposition the ballast element with respect to the channel shaped structure.
The channel shaped structure has typically open ends so that portions of the ballast element may be moved by the power ballast element moving device past either open end of the channel shaped structure. A control panel is preferably provided for controlling operation of the force applicator from the cab or adjacent a seat (e.g. in the tractor) remote from the leveling means. The equipment heads may comprise a planter pulled by a tractor, with the leveling means mounted directly on the carriage, or under some circumstances--depending upon the type of equipment heads and the carriage, their size, and the type of tractor utilized--the leveling means may be mounted directly on the tractor.
In one of the simplest embodiments, the channel shaped structure comprises a substantially quadrate in cross section shaped channel with a bottom portion, with a plurality of rollers rotatable about axes substantially parallel to the first direction mounted on the bottom portion, and a ballast element has a weight of at least about 100 pounds. In this embodiment the force applicator typically comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly controlled by a remote control mechanism. Stops may also be provided for preventing movement of the ballast element too far out of an open end of the channel shaped structure, for example the stops comprising the power ballast element moving device first portion and opposite surfaces of the channel shaped structure forming the cutout.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention a planter having self-leveling capabilities is provided comprising the following elements: A plurality of planter heads mounted to a carriage for movement in a first direction. A channel-shaped structure elongated in a second dimension substantially perpendicular to the first direction. A ballast element mounted in the channel shaped structure for movement with respect thereto in the second dimension. And a powered ballast element moving device having a first portion mounted to the ballast element, a second portion mounted to the channel shaped structure, and a force applicator for moving the first portion with respect to the second portion in the second dimension to reposition the ballast element with respect to the channel shaped element.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide simple, inexpensive, yet effective remote controllable leveling, particularly suitable for use with farm implements (most preferably planters) to maintain proper operation thereof on sloping terrain. This and other objects will become clear from a detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.